Guide to Country House Plans

Country house plans offer a relaxing, rural lifestyle regardless of where you intend to construct your new home. You can construct your country home within the city and still enjoy the feel of a rural setting right in the middle of town. Moreover, the deep, spacious front porches and the cozy hearth rooms that come with country houses help to create a warm and inviting atmosphere that many homeowners want to achieve. 

Family Home Plans offers a large collection of country home plans you will never find anywhere else. Our list of over 6,000 country style homes designed by top American and Canadian architects ensures you’ll find a style that suits your vision for your dream home. Living in a country house offers the ambiance and serenity you truly deserve. However, it’s essential to first find the right country house plan for you. 

If you’re interested in this architectural style, read our guide below to help you learn more about country house plans and how to find the perfect one for your family.

Common Features of Country House Plans

While some house styles have fairly specific defining features, country houses fit into a broader category that is more about the overall impression of the home than specific architectural features. Some factors that can make a house a country house go beyond the house plan itself. For example, country homes are typically built on expansive properties in rural settings. However, you can build a country style home anywhere to bring some rural charm to a more populated area. Other examples are that country homes often have metal roofs and clapboard siding.

When it comes to country home floor plans, there is plenty of room for variety. That said, even the most simple country house plans do share some similar characteristics. Here are some common features you’ll see across many country house plans:

• Steep roof pitch: Though not a requirement for country house plans, many country homes have steeply sloping roofs. In some cases, these roofs are hipped, and in other cases, they include more complex details. For more complex rooflines, some sections may have a steeper pitch while the rest of the roofline is more gently sloped. 
• Complex roofline: Rustic farmhouses may have simplistic rooflines, but most country homes have irregular, complex rooflines. For example, cross-gabled roof planes are popular. These roofs involve an intersection of at least two gabled roof sections. At their simplest, they create a T or L shape, but the more gabled sections that are included, the more complex the overall roofline becomes.
• Asymmetrical massing: Massing is a term used in architecture to describe the overall shape and form of a building. Most country homes have asymmetrical massing on the outside, meaning the shape is more irregular. For example, the face of the house may include sections that extend farther forward or include dormers.
• Symmetry around the front door: While country house plans tend to be asymmetrical overall, they often maintain a symmetrical appearance around the front door. The front door may be positioned in the middle of the home or farther to one side. Whatever the case, the area immediately surrounding the front door will likely include symmetrical features, such as matching windows.
• Multiple eating areas: The interior layout of a country home can take a variety of forms, but there is one feature that tends to be consistent across many country floor plans: a large eat-in kitchen, often called a “country kitchen.” Country kitchens tend to be the centerpiece of the home and may connect to a casual dining area. Some country homes also include formal dining rooms as well.
• Hearth rooms: Many country homes feature hearth rooms. Hearth rooms are living spaces, typically near the kitchen, that feature a fireplace as the focal point. These rooms are casual in nature and may be referred to as family rooms or informal living rooms. They offer a warm, cozy space to gather with family or friends.
• Large covered porch: Large front porches or wrap around porches are one of the most well-known features of country homes. Wrap around porch house plans can include a porch that surrounds the entire home or a porch that extends around the front of the house to one or both sides. These porches are covered by an extension of the roof to provide shade and shelter.

Types of Country House Plans

Because the term “country house” is so broad, there are plenty of subcategories used to label various types of country houses. Let’s look at some examples of different types of country homes:

• French country: While most country houses are based on a rural American style, French country houses are a type of European architecture that reflect the style of homes in the French countryside. They tend to be a bit more stately than American country houses and feature materials like stucco, brick and stone.
• Country cottage: If the words that come to mind when you imagine your dream home are “country cottage,” then you’ll want to look at country house plans or cottage plans that look like they’ve been plucked from the pages of a storybook. Cottages are often small, but they don’t have to be. What they do need is plenty of rustic charm.
• Farmhouse: Farmhouse plans are some of the most quintessential country house plans you’ll find. They stay true to many of the country design features we’ll look at, such as wrap around porches and country kitchens. Farmhouses don’t have to be old, and they don’t have to be built on farms. In fact, the “modern farmhouse” style has become extremely popular, both in terms of architecture and decor in recent years.
  
• Southern home: When we talk about the country or rural areas in the U.S., many people’s minds turn to the South. The South contains some beautiful historic homes, and home builders today can achieve the same combination of country, Georgian and Federal influences that characterize these beautiful 
• Southern homes.
• Low Country home: Another type of country house worth mentioning is the low country style. This is a type of Southern home designed for swampy areas especially. These homes are typically constructed on piers to prevent flooding. Like other types of Southern homes, low country house plans feature large porches and plenty of windows for an airy feel.

Five Benefits of Wrap Around Porches

Because wrap around porches are such a popular feature on country house plans, considering a country house plan for your building project typically means considering house plans with wrap around porches. You may already be dreaming of a classic farmhouse with a wrap around porch, but if your current home doesn’t have one, you may wonder whether there are any benefits of including this feature on your new country home. 

Wrap around porches come with some valuable benefits. Here are five reasons you may want to choose a house plan with a wrap around porch.

1. They Have Curb Appeal 

Wrap around porches and large, covered front porches have unmistakable curb appeal. They add more dimension to the facade of the house, and they also provide an area for homeowners to put their creative touch on their home’s exterior. A covered porch provides a place for outdoor furniture, such as benches and rocking chairs, potted plants and other types of decor. Increased curb appeal also means an increased home value.

2. They Provide the Perfect Spot to Enjoy Nature 

One reason many country homes have historically included wrap around porches is because these homes were built on scenic properties where it only makes sense to have outdoor spaces designed for enjoying nature. If your home will be built in a scenic area, a wraparound porch is the perfect place to take in the views on at least two sides of the house and, in some cases, on all sides. 

3. They Offer Outdoor Protection

There are many types of outdoor living spaces that can allow you to socialize, eat or just enjoy the breeze outside. A wrap around porch has some advantages over many types of patios and decks, however, because they are covered. This means you can enjoy shade in the summer heat and shelter if you want to sit outside and enjoy the sounds and coolness of a rainstorm. 

4. They Are Synonymous With Hospitality

Wrap around porches automatically give a home a hospitable feel. Particularly in rural areas, covered front porches are known for being places where neighbors, family and friends can come together to pass the time of day in the outside air. Adding rocking chairs or porch swings to your wrap around porch can bring a touch of Southern hospitality to any home.

5. They Can Include Multiple Accessibility Points

Whereas a typical front porch is only accessible from the front door, a wrap around porch extends to other parts of the house and, therefore, other doors. Wrap around porches that surround the whole home may be accessible from back doors, side doors and even bedroom doors in addition to the front door, providing many ways to enter the covered outdoor space from inside the home.

Country House Plans FAQ

If you’re considering building a country style home, you may have some questions about this type of home. Hopefully, we’ve already answered some basic questions, like “what is a country home?” or “what types of country homes are there?” You likely have some other unanswered questions, though, about these house plans, so let’s take a moment to answer some frequently asked questions regarding country homes.

How Do I Find the Right Country House Plan for Me?

Start by browsing through options and note which features you want to prioritize. Once you start to determine what you’re looking for, you can narrow your search based on certain features. For example, you may look specifically for a country house with a detached garage or wrap around porch house plans. As you continue to learn which features you’re interested in, you can further narrow your search until you find the perfect option for you.

What’s Included in a Country House Plan?

Country house plans from Family Home Plans come with all the information your builder will need to bring your vision to life. That includes detailed drawings, cross-section drawing and elevations. Your country house plans will detail everything from the exterior finishes to the interior floor plan, foundation plan, roofline and more. It will even specify details like staircases, fireplaces, cabinets and any other features in your home. 

Can I Modify My Country House Plan?

If you find a ready-made country house plan you love, but you want to make some minor changes, such as repositioning a smaller room or resizing the garage, that is possible. Design staff at Family Home Plans can help you modify your plans to match your preferences. If the changes you want to make are not structural and only have to do with things like material substitutions, you can purchase a set of plans as-is and then simply mark the changes on the plans. 

What Materials Are Used to Build a Country Home?

Country style homes can use a variety of building materials. Some common choices include metal roofs, clapboard siding and wood accents. Since each country home is different, individual plans come with their own list of building materials that will direct builders in how to bring your chosen plan to life. You may choose to substitute certain materials to match your preferences.

What Size Are Most Country Homes?

There really isn’t a typical size for country homes. They come in a variety of square footage options, ranging from tiny cabins and cottages to large, stately homes. However, most country homes fall in between these two extremes. Most country house plans are one and a half or two stories, but some country homes are ranch style, and others can include three stories.

Where Should You Build a Country Home?

The architectural style of country homes is found most in rural areas, especially those in the American Midwest and the South. However, you can find country style homes just about anywhere in the country. These homes have a classic Americana appeal that can look charming in any setting. Country homes are especially well-suited to large property plots, but that is certainly not a requirement.

Purchase a Plan for Your Country Home

A country house can be your permanent residence or a vacation home for those who love the country life. However you intend to use your country home or where you intend to build it, you need to start with the ideal set of plans. 

Get started by browsing through our country house plans from Family Home Plans, and use the search features to narrow in on the perfect option for you. There’s no need to take on the overwhelming process of designing a home from scratch when there are thousands of options to choose from, already set to go. With so many choices, you can find the perfect fit for you.

If you have any questions, you can contact us, and we’ll be happy to assist you in your search. Anyone can enjoy the warmth and charm of the country with a beautiful country home plan from Family Home Plans.